A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly
Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her
zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses
her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another
reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an
elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world.
And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its
plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her
there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little
off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath
disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one
thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble...

My Rating:

My Opinion: Michele Vail has brought something new to the paranormal fiction table (at least to me it's new): Egyptian mythology! I think the Egyptian mythology and the experience of reading about something totally new and unexpected is what made me like the book a lot more than I would have if it was something I'd read before. I'm rating this a 3 because of a few reasons, which I'll explain later. But now, let me gush about the coolness of the Egyptian stuff.

So this is a world where zombies exist (but it's not grisly or scary, yay!) and people who have the powers to raise, command, see or talk to the undead (called reapers) are pretty common. Molly is one of these and she turns out to be extra special. All of the reaper powers are gifted to humans by the Egyptian God of the Underworld, Anubis, in his efforts to fight his uncle Set, God of Chaos, for the position of top dog in the underworld because Set didn't want to give up his throne to Anubis, who is the rightful ruler of the place. There were some pretty grisly battles between Anubis and Set's followers/reapers but Set was locked away and is only now threatening to break his bonds...

So there's lot of cool Egyptian mythology, we get to meet the awesome Anubis (he seems like a pretty decent guy) and this was what made the book so interesting. What wasn't so interesting was Molly and her drama. Now, I was 16 pretty recently but I don't remember making such a huge deal out of everything. Molly is quite immature and a pretty bad narrator. She always adds in stuff that isn't necessary (like those little trivia bits added into some episodes of TV shows for fun) and it got annoying for me to constantly read her OMGs, LOLs, BTWs, etc. I also felt that this book was all over the place. Like there was an instance where a gun was being pointed at Molly and I had a hard time finding when it got pointed because it was surrounded by all the rubbish Molly kept thinking in her head/narrating. I just felt very disconnected and quite confused at times!

Another thing I didn't like was Molly's overall attitude to what was going on around her. She's a very 'watch the world go by from way back here' kind of girl, I felt, and didn't take initiative. She's just not fit to be the hero and champion of the future battles/events ahead of her. She let people just tell her what to do and didn't ask questions and ended up being confused by her abilities because she didn't bother to go up to someone and talk about her problems/questions. So I as a reader was also very confused because no one ever really even tells Molly what she is (she's not a normal reaper) but they all just imply that she's different.Molly doesn't even demand an explanation, just stands there in a confused daze! Asdfgjhdjkl. Another thing: Molly is so head over heels for this one guy Rick she is too dumb to notice that he is clearly NOT OKAY. She's all like "Nah, Rick wouldn't lie, he's perfect, Oh Rick, you put hearts in my eyes!"

My verdict: The richness of Egyptian mythology in this book makes it far more interesting to read than your run-of-the-mill vampire angst novel, but the main character fails to inspire my belief in her. A positive is that there are some good characters in it that I DID end up absolutely loving.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Let's see . . . what's next. Well, I'm not planning any more books in the Darkness Falls series, but I have considered spin offs . . . considered being the keyword. I love the world of Encardia, and I love the other, connected worlds. But for now, I'm ready to move on.

And move on, I have (channeling Yoda!)

I'm writing a book called Shattered Secrets (working title). This story is about a girl who believes her biggest problems involve boys and college applications, but she's wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Her problems involve boys, college applications, and kidnappers.

And these aren't ordinary kidnappers! They reveal more about her than anyone close to her ever has, sending her on a mission of self-discovery, one full of secrets waiting to be shattered.

Krystal Wade can be found in
the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday.
With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers–who sometimes snore, smell,
or have incredibly bad gas–sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of
fantastical worlds for you and me to read. How else can she cope with a fifty
mile commute?

Good thing she has her
husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

Happy endings are hard
to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone
who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a
positive future with her Draíochtans.Armed with hope, confidence
in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures
into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.Losses add up, and new
obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring
Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the
sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?

Open to US/Canada only.
Entries into the daily give-away count towards the grand prize give-away of a Google Nexus 7 and a set of all three books signed!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

My Opinion: The Violet Eden Chapters (by Aussie author Jessica Shirvington) are about angels and kicking butt. Featuring Violet, who didn't know she was half-angel, or grigori as they're called in the book, until her 17th birthday. Her workout partner/mentor/best guy friend/crush Lincoln (I personally picture Lincoln Lewis, which is totally fine by me) is her grigori partner - they're a kickass team - and that means that they can never be together romantically. Violet & Lincoln's
job is to control all the exiled angels (those who were kicked out of heaven or
wanted to be human and feel, since angels have no form). The books have been recently published in America but have been out in Australia for two years.

I'm totally proud of Jessica because these books are proving to be a hit in America (the US covers are so much nicer than ours!) and I found out that the rights have been bought by CW & Amblin TV to make a TV show adaptation! I'm not sure where it will be set but I'm really hoping they have some Aussie actors in it because whilst the books are set in a not-named-city-in-a-not-named-place, I like to think Violet lives somewhere in Sydney. :) That's actually something that annoys me - does everything have to be set in America or if not in the US, then a not-specified place? Australia can have some pretty cool angel heroes, too! I really wish Jessica had named where the Chapters are set because it would have made it more real for me and I reckon Australia needs to have more books set in it because we're always being left out of everything and forgotten. Must be the 14 hour-long flight it takes to get in or out of this place...

Anyways, the series (I finished the 3rd book and need to get the 4th book ASAP) is about Violet and Lincoln working together with the city's very own angel kickass squad to get rid of the bad guys - there are always bad guys - and it turns into Violet meeting a guy called Phoenix who turns out to be very-evil-and-not-trustworthy (aka an exiled angel)and basically turns Vi's world upside down by introducing a whole big mess for Violet & co to solve. This mess may or may not include there being a list of all the future grigori to ever be born that the bad guys may or may not have gotten to before the good guys have. Uh oh... There is also a love triangle between Violet, Lincoln & Phoenix, which I really dislike! I think some of the things Violet did were stupid and silly and she ends up regretting them, as she should.

The plot is thick and I got sucked right it. It will take too much time to explain all the intricacies so I will just say that the plot and angel concept are my favourite parts of this series. It's full of action, intrigue, mystery and the characters all have great depth and actually feel real and not like cardboard cut-outs of clichés. Despite me disliking some of Violet's actions & the love triangle, Jessica has done an excellent job with this series. I especially like Lincoln. I think he's one of the greatest heroes I've read about and he's very down to earth, loyal, protective and beyond brave. He also cares about Violet so, so much and she hurts him very deeply. Out of the YA I've read, Lincoln has to be my favourite hero.

My verdict: Of course I don't have enough room to tell you guys about all the great things in this series but I will say that it is a must-read and I am sure all of you will get obsessed! With such a great plot, a unique angel concept and some amazing characters, these books are something I will keep recommending to everyone I know!

Okay, I have a question for you: do you guys like these series reviews? I just don't want to spend heaps of time reviewing separate books out of a series that I've finished or read almost entirely (it takes time to re-read!) and doing an overview of the entire series allows me to point out all the good & bad points. Please leave a comment with your opinion so I have a better idea of what you guys want in the future! :)

McKenzie was a normal
college student, save for one little twist: she’s a shadow reader,
someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our
world and the Realm. It’s a gift for which she has been called insane,
one for which she has risked family and friends—and one that has now
plunged her into a brutal civil war between the fae. With the
reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to
live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren,
the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend,
Paige, disappears McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream.
McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she’s not
careful, her decisions could cost the lives of everyone she’s tried so
hard to save.

My Rating:

My Opinion:I
didn't think THE SHATTERED DARK (TSD) was going to blow me away. For
starters, I absolutely fell in love with the first book in this series,
THE SHADOW READER, and I did not think that any book following could top
it. The love triangle was artfully done, the characters were so unique
and lovable, and the world was well developed. For those reasons, my
expectations were incredibly high.

TSD was good, but unlike the
first book in the series, I found many scenes to drag. It seemed like
instead of confronting issues, everything was shoved aside for a later
date. The beginning was slow for me. It took me a while to get back into
the world and to remember everyone's personalities. Once I did adjust,
however, I was hooked--even with the slow middle half--because I was
reunited with the characters I fell in love with.

One thing is
that I wish there was more romance. There were a few teasers, but said
teasers were more reflections of the past as opposed to any progress in
the present. I took issue with this because the first book in the series
set a certain tone, and TSD didn't exactly follow through in the way
that I expected. It isn't until the final pages in TSD that we really
see any relationship progression, and oh lordy it is heart wrenching.
Worth the wait, but now I have to wait until the third book in this
series comes out next year in order to find out what happens next.

I'd
say that the ending is a reflection of what I fell in love with in THE
SHADOW READER. Everything else was a buildup, and while it wasn't my
favorite, it certainly got me prepped (without me even realizing it) for what happened.

A good
sequel, but THE SHADOW READER is still the best in the series thus far.
Regardless of my complaints, this is one series you will want to read
because of how well developed and entertaining it is.

Jillian Cardiff came to
this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed
her. Instead, she rescues-and falls for-a gorgeous stranger who has no
memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming, and
protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man whom Jillian can trust.
But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of
man who can be very dangerous . . . Reseph may not know why he
mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay.
Yet when Jillian's neighbors are killed, and demon hunters arrive on the
scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's
revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for
ravaging the world, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of
all: Can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future
they both desire?

My Rating:

My Opinion:Larissa
Ione has done it yet again. She has blown me away with her superb
writing skills, lovable characters, and a world that is so lush it's
hard to remember that it's not real.

I think Reseph's story was
the one I anticipated the most. I loved his playboy character, his
carefree attitude, and I was so curious to see how she would redeem him
after his ugly transformation into the wicked Pestilence. I was also
worried that the heroine in this novel wouldn't live up to my
expectations. I have a tendency to expect the heroine to be badass
enough to be with the heroes I adore, and more often than not, a lot of
the heroines end up being whiny and lack a backbone.

Not the case
with Jilly (am I going to get hit with a frying pan??). Despite her
traumatizing past, she essentially shoves her fears aside and defends
those she cares for. Her character isn't suffocating with motherly
instincts. She isn't a pushover. She knows what she wants, and she won't
cave in--even to Reseph. And Reseph in turn doesn't turn into some
whipped boytoy by the end of the story. He was humbled without being
emasculated. Hoorah!!

I thought that this would be the end to the
Horsemen series, but I was thrilled to see that there would be another
book. No saying goodbye yet. There were so many twists this time around,
and I came to care for characters I initially felt deserved whatever
horrible fate they had coming their way. It's amazing how a few scenes
can completely change my perspective, and I think this just affirms that
Larissa is an excellent storyteller.

Worldbuilding is of course
amazing. The plot doesn't have any lulls in it. The sex, like always,
was hot. Not too many mushy scenes that would make you feel like you'd
get a bunch of cavities; in fact, those lovey scenes didn't turn me off
like they sometimes do in other books. It worked, and I think it worked
because I knew that those scenes held so much more meaning because of
the characters and their pasts.

Another amazing read. Start this
series from the beginning. Like I've said in other reviews, if you
really want to appreciate this world, start from the very beginning in
the Daemonica series. Lots of books to read, but its worth it in the
end.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Hi everyone! I wanted to spread the word about something that Jess Haines is coordinating for Christmas this year. If you'd like to read her blog post, here is the link; otherwise, you can continue reading the post below :)

Please take the time to look through your TBR piles or your already-read piles and see if there are any YA or MG books that you would be willing to part with. Any book that you decide to donate will definitely make someone's Christmas all the better. I've already looked through my own piles and have a box set aside.

Since a lot of us are bloggers and get books for free, I think the least we could all do is to share the bookish love with those who would otherwise not have the opportunity to read such wonderful books by equally wonderful authors.

Thanks! -Tori

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once again, my church is sponsoring a program to help kids have a
Christmas to remember. These are children who would not otherwise get
gifts or really have a way to celebrate the holiday.

I’d like to ask for your help. A few kids from the neighborhoods
around my church who come from very poor families will be donated a
Christmas dinner, toys, given games to play and other activities to do
for the day, spend time with Santa, and meet a participating celebrity
or two. This year, we are expecting between 200 and 400 children, so you
can imagine the amount of stuff needed to make sure they all get a
little holiday cheer.

Here’s what you can do — what I’m asking for are donations of NEW:

clothing

books (preferrably middle grade / young adult – any books donated should be appropriate for children and teens)

toiletries

makeup

gift cards (preferably to Target and Walmart)

While we can accept toys and such for younger kids, I’ve been asked
for special concentration on things for teenagers. There should be
about 20 to 40 teens attending. Please bear in mind that these kids
wouldn’t get gifts for Christmas or any kind of special way to
celebrate the holiday if we weren’t providing for them. We do want to
make this special but also give them something they can come away with
that they can use, will make their lives easier, etc. Most of these kids
don’t have iPods or computers or even TVs and DVD players, so please
bear that in mind regarding any any kind of electronics, media, or gift
cards you’re thinking of sending.

If you’re willing to help, please send your donations to my address by no later than December 2nd,
and I will make sure everything gets delivered, wrapped, etc. We’re
holding the actual event on December 15th. I can’t post pictures due to
the nature of this program, but your contributions do have an impact the
lives of these kids. (Thanks again to last year’s supporters,
particularly Jennifer Estep. It really does help!)

Please do not wrap any gifts you send. You can
include wrapping and ribbon in the package if you want, but we need to
know what we receive so we can ensure it goes to a child of the right
age range and gender (we don’t want a 16 year old boy walking out with a
Barbie or an 8 year old getting a copy of THE HUNGER GAMES, that sort
of thing).

I’d
very much appreciate it if you would help spread the word by forwarding
or re-posting this information on your own blogs, Twitter, Facebook,
etc.

My Opinion: Let me start off by saying that a few years ago, when I was younger and more naive, I actually thought these books were good. And then I re-read them. The sheer amount of slut-shaming, girl jealousy, pop culture references and stupidity that is present in these books makes me really want to ask the authors how they could come up with it. I guess two minds are better than one...? I really don't want to write a review completely trashing these books, but I just have to talk about all the bad things in this series so you guys will know what you're getting into if you pick these up.

HoN is a series about a teenage girl named Zoey who gets marked to be a vampyre (notice the New Age-y spelling) and then goes to vampyre finishing school (aka the House of Night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, aka Why Not Somewhere Cooler Like Chicago or New York?) in the hopes of not dying before she transitions to be a full vampyre. Vampyres and fledglings are identified by the marks they sport of their foreheads: a sapphire outline of a crescent moon for fledglings, a filled in crescent moon and markings around the top half of the face for vampyres. Their goddess Nyx must be trolling them because it's cool in theory but when you actually imagine someone with markings (all different, some vamps have swirls, others have squiggles, etc, some of them form shapes like horses) like that, it's not that cool.

So the slut-shaming and girl-jealousy I mentioned. There are so many instances where Zoey either thinks girls who have any sort of sexual experience are sluts or calls another girl names because she actually possesses redeemable qualities (unlike Zoey) that it got to the point where I wondered how anyone could stand this girl. She is such a hypocrite! Zoey goes on and on about how terrible girls who like ro want sex are and then goes on with her three boyfriends and barely acknowledges the fact that she is, in fact, one of those girls she kept on insulting. Why do guys even like this girl? So far, I've gotten up to the 8th book and I still barely see why Zoey has practically her whole town beating down her door in order to hook up with her. The only semi-interesting thing about her is that she's some sort of super fledgling and is supposed to save the world from the evil vamps. Couldn't Nyx have given that mantle so some girl who isn't a hypocritical brat??

Each book has an abnormal number of pop culture references. The trendiest celebrities, popular TV shows, 'nerdy' references of comics and Star Wars (HA!), that sort of stuff. A reason I really don't like authors sticking heaps of pop culture references in their books is because five years down the track, most people won't even get the references and it will leave the scratching their heads. I DON'T NEED TO KNOW HOW SASSY PROJECT RUNWAY IS. (that is all.)

The books can't ALL be bad, can they? Well, no. In Awakened, two of the most annoying characters die and I swear to God I had like a mini party. Also, Aphrodite. Aphrodite starts off being this bitch and then turns into my favourite character. God, I love this girl. She and her super adorable relationship with Darius is what gets me through these books. Aphrodite is the one character who has actual depth and has evolved as the series goes on. She's also really hilarious and snarky. What's not to love? But apart from these two things, HoN is really not worth the read. All of the characters are one dimensional and clichéd and these books consist of Zoey being a bitch and all this drama being usually caused by her or something to DO with her.

My verdict: I realise I just spent thirty minutes writing a terrible review of this series, but in all honesty, there's not much more to write about than all the reasons I didn't like these books. I've listed the only redeemable factors that have kept me reading, so that's something, right?

After a tragic accident
scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the
worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel
electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch.
Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night
kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to
the world's most infamous vampire...

Vlad
Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do,
don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of
the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new
weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own.
When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them,
threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are
to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

My Rating:

My Opinion: So I really like Jeaniene Frost's books. I fell in love with her Night Huntress series (which is fantastic, you need to check it out!) a few years ago and the books have been re-read so many times. Vlad has been featured in these books quite a bit and each time I read about him, I liked him more and more! He's a great character and he's made me laugh with his quips to Bones, who he really doesn't like. I still giggle over his Anne Rice comeback. (It's the first one.) I knew I'd love this book and it's no wonder I gave it five stars!

This starts off with introducing the heroine, Frankie (whose real name we find out in the next few chapters), who can channel electricity through her right hand and can see someone's past or future when she touches a person or their belongings. She's working in a circus and practising her moves one night when she gets kidnapped. Asked to find Vlad through touching his weapons, she finds out that she can communicate with him through the connection she forms when she touched his weapons and so she bargains for his help and he agrees. This is what I like about Frankie: she's strong, quick and smart. She's not scared easily and fights for what she believes is right. Her quickness in making a deal with Vlad is only the first of the many awesome feats she pulls off.

So, uhh, Vlad. Gosh, he is just so sexy. Like, I like him even more than I like Bones and I thought Bones was one of the hottest heroes I'd read about so far. As we read more about Vlad as he and Frankie interact, we see more of his awesome qualities, such as his loyalty, bravery, strength and... sassiness. On a scale of one to Crowley (any Supernatural fans out here?), Vlad is pretty much on par with Crowley. He's hilarious and I love that side of him. But don't forget, he's also a vampire who's survived for so long for a reason: he's bloodthirsty and cruel. We see some of his cruelty and yeah, it kinda scared me but it also showed that he's not a wimpy little vamp.

You know how Vlad Tepesh was nicknamed Vlad the Impaler? We see some of this impaling done in the book. Only from what I've read about Vlad in history books, he didn't impale people through their chests, as he does in this book. Of course, I may be wrong or this is different in the book due to the fact that the other method is just far too disgusting for me to think about. I really didn't like reading about Vlad's cruelty and I thought that some of it was overkill.

Frost does a wonderful job in creating two really great characters and making their adventures really bloody awesome. Frost also writes about Marty, a dwarf vampire who is like a father to Frankie. Marty is willing to sacrifice his life for Frankie and he's just a really great guy who I hope isn't killed off later in this series.

My verdict: I could go on and on about all the awesomeness in this book but who wants to read a short novel? All I can say is that this is my favourite book of Jeaniene's so far and I'm looking forward to more romance between Frankie and Vlad in their next book. Hurry up, March!

Hey guys, I wanted to apologise for being away for so long. This year was my final year at school and it was full of exams and just really stressful so I had to give up reviewing and most of my reading to focus on school and my future. Now that my exams are over, I'll be reviewing a lot more! :)

Friday, November 9, 2012

It seemed so simple:
Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order
would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be
elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life
and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom
has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy
is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will
Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the
riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads ofdanger and destiny, betrayal and passion.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Yeesh, I seem to be doing quite a few of these this year, haven't I? Well, once again, I've gotten overwhelmed by the science workload. To top it off, I also started doing volunteer work at a doctor's office in September. Between that, getting my grad school applications done (statement of purpose is just not happening anytime soon, at this rate...), and dealing with a minor case of bursitis in the knee, reading books and keeping Book Faery updated has been the last thing on my to do list.

I'm not abandoning the blog, and I'm not going on a hiatus, either.

Instead, I will not be accepting any requests for author interviews/guest posts, nor will I be accepting any giveaway posts at this current time. I will still be posting book reviews when I get a chance to finish a book, and Alice will begin posting reviews again soon, too.

I know I owe a few of you giveaway winners some books. I apologize for not getting them shipped to you sooner, but I literally have had no time to get out to go to the post office. I have not forgotten about you all. You will get your books soon.

So what exactly does this mean for Book Faery's future? It won't be as active as other review blogs out there. I don't think I have the time anymore like I did when I first started blogging. I also think it's high time that I post what I want to post and not turn this into a chore or a job. Reviews won't be consistent, but they will still be shared on my twitter and via email/Google reader if you're subscribed. Like always, I post reviews onto my Goodreads account too.

Thanks for all the continued support from those of you who continue to stop by and read my thoughts on books.